The Generator Company
Standby Generator Upgrade for Global Technology Company

Standby Generator - Standby Generator System - Power Generation Sets

Our client, one of the largest communication technology
companies in the world, contacted us to provide a suitable
solution for a 1000kVA standby generator upgrade to
incorporate some of the site’s existing services and
associated equipment at one of their UK datacentres.

For this client, using their award-winning networks to
connect millions of companies and communities to deliver;
interactive entertainment, digital media, the internet and
broadband, back-up power at any of their datacentres is
imperative. However, their existing standby generator was
simply no longer fit for purpose.

Having worked with this client over many years all our
regular engineers who have worked at their sites are
completely coherent with the very sensitive nature of their
business and site sensitivity and it was therefore
undeniable that we would offer them a solution that would be
completely tailor made to their exact requirements.

We allocated our usual Project Manager with an existing
knowledge of the site's current standby generator system set
up. Het met the Facilities Management team on site to
discuss their specific requirements and assess any
installation and access restrictions.

Following a thorough site survey our Project Manager put
together his design recommendations together with the
necessary RAM’s and schedule of works, which were
subsequently agreed and signed off by the client. The
1000kVA standby generator upgrade would run extremely
smoothly with the only a couple of minor challenges we
needed to consider for the installation. It was vital that
the new generator, once installed, would have the same noise
level readings as the current one as it was sited externally
to the datacentre. Also the space onsite was very
restricted, especially logistically to gain access with a
lorry to the location of the generator. Having mastered
numerous solutions to combat severe restrictions at plenty
of client sites we felt we were becoming specialists in this
scenario.

The noise level of the current generator was taken before it
could be removed by our in-house rental department,
Powerhire, who delivered and installed a temporary super
silent generator to site. This would be essential in
providing a temporary standby power solution while the new
generator could be installed. Once the temporary generator
was up and running all the necessary connections from the
old generator were disconnected and the existing set was
removed from its base.

Before the installation of the 1000kVA standby generator
could be carried out the surrounding ground required
decontamination. Our Project Manager suggested that as we
were doing the ground works to accommodate the new set it
would make sense for us to arrange this instead of bringing
in a third party. We put together the necessary method
statement which the client favoured as a more cost effective
solution as well as a way of speeding up the installation
and system set up.

Once the site was clean and signed off by an independent
environmental specialist and the surrounding fence taken
out, the existing concrete base was increased in size to
accommodate the new 1000kVA standby generator. Extreme care
was taken whilst the base was constructed as the engineers
had to navigate around the existing underground services as
they needed to remain undisturbed. Once this was complete
our engineers went full steam ahead with the installation of
the new containerised generator which had been previously
witness tested in the presence of the client at our rental
depot in Kent.

An external compound was set up for the duration of the
installation of all the equipment which, from inception to
commission, was carried out over an 8 week schedule. We
utilised a 90 tonne crane on a very minimal footprint, this
had to be oversized because we required a longer length
boom, the additional height was required to elevate the
heavy generator system components into the desired location.
The positioning of the crane had to be extremely accurate as
precision engineering was required to manoeuvre the boom
under immense load to the required extension without
compromising the underground services.

Once all the new equipment was in place; the 1000kVA AMF
diesel powered Cummins generator, alternator, radiator, day
tank, our bespoke built generator control panel inclusive of
a DSE8610 and the generator link box, the final connections
were made.

Our engineers and Project Manager connected up all the
upgraded parts of the new generator system as well as the
existing bulk tank, feeder panel, switchboard and
underground services into the final 1000kVA standby
generator system upgrade.

Finally the acoustic enclosure, complete with attenuation
panels at each end, was manoeuvred into place and the
exhaust silencers fitted to its roof.

Once the new fencing, manufactured to meet the existing
fencing profile, was replaced new noise levels could be
taken and commissioning completed.

Following satisfactory noise levels we commenced the
commissioning using the client’s onsite loadbank to prove
the generator and system set up. In the presence of the
client and an independent BMS contractor, the generator was
run on site load for the pre-agreed duration, followed by a
site integration test which took approximately 8 hours.

Following the successful commissioning process and an
extremely happy client, our rental engineers returned to
site to remove the temporary standby power solution now the
new system was operational.